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Turn Off the Light
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Wikipedia article
{{Infobox song
| name = Turn Off the Light
| cover = Turnofflightnellyfurtado.jpg
| alt =
| caption = International retail artwork, also used for enhanced CD release and one of US promotional materials
| type = single
| artist = Nelly Furtado
| album = Whoa, Nelly!
| released =
| recorded =
| studio =
* The Gymnasium (Toronto, Canada)
* Can-Am Recorders (Tarzana, Los Angeles)
| genre =
| length = 4:36
| label = DreamWorks
| writer = Nelly Furtado
| producer =
* Gerald Eaton
* Brian West
* Nelly Furtado
| prev_title = I'm Like a Bird
| prev_year = 2000
| next_title = Shit on the Radio (Remember the Days)
| next_year = 2001
| misc =
}}
"'Turn Off the Light'" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Nelly Furtado from her debut studio album, 'Whoa, Nelly!' (2000). Written by Furtado, and produced by Gerald Eaton, Brian West, and Furtado, the song was released as the album's second single on July 2, 2001, reaching number one in New Zealand, Portugal, and Romania, as well peaking within the top 10 in several other countries, including Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Music video
There are two music videos for "Turn Off the Light": the underground version and the regular version.
The regular version was directed by Sophie Muller and was filmed in Chinatown's Central Plaza in Los Angeles, California. The music video for the regular version of "Turn Off the Light" begins in a swamp where Furtado is sitting on the edge of a log and people are swimming in the swamp. She begins to sing the first verse and when the chorus commences the people in the swamp pull her in and they start dancing in the swamp. When the second verse begins Furtado is seen at a temple singing while dancers jump out and dance with Furtado. During the second part of the chorus, she is surrounded by a group at the temple and they dance around her while she sings. During the bridge Furtado is shown at an old house singing and playing the guitar, with the flag of the Azores both behind her and on her guitar (this scene is interpolated with shots of a DJ playing, also with the Azorean flag behind him, and topless men dancing while using skirts that resemble those used in Sufi whirling). The video ends with Furtado back at the temple eating noodles.
The underground video features Furtado playing the guitar in a wooden shed, wearing a white top and jeans. She is also seen buying flowers. Behind the scenes footage of the photoshoot for the 'Whoa, Nelly!' cover is interwoven throughout the video.
Chart performance
The song became Furtado's most successful song at the time of its release. In New Zealand, it became her first number-one single and stayed on the chart for 27 weeks. "Turn Off the Light" was certified Gold by Recorded Music NZ for sales greater than 5,000 copies. The song became the second-most successful song of New Zealand in 2001, behind Craig David's "Walking Away". It peaked at number 5 on the US 'Billbard' Hot 100 on November 10, 2001. A remix featuring rappers Ms. Jade and Timbaland was also released, and a dance remix topped the 'Billboard' Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. In Australia, although the song peaked at number 7, it remained in the top 50 for 21 weeks and was certified Platinum for sales exceeding 70,000 copies. The song debuted and peaked at number 4 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Furtado's second top-5 single there, and reached number 2 on the UK R&B Chart.
Track listings
'US promo CD'
# "Turn Off the Light" (radio edit) 3:36
# "Turn Off the Light" (album version) 4:36
'UK and European CD single, UK cassette single'
# "Turn Off the Light" (radio edit) 3:36
# "I'm Like a Bird" (acoustic version) 3:50
'European and Australasian enhanced CD single'
# "Turn Off the Light" (radio edit)
# "Turn Off the Light" (Sunshine Reggae Mix)
# "I'm Like a Bird" (acoustic)
# "Turn Off the Light" (underground video)
'European enhanced CD single 2'
# "Turn Off the Light"
# "Turn Off the Light" (remix featuring Timbaland and Ms. Jade)
# "I'm Like a Bird" (acoustic version)
# "Turn Off the Light" (CD-Rom video)
Credits and personnel
Credits are adapted from the 'Whoa, Nelly!' album booklet.
'Studios'
* Recorded and engineered at The Gymnasium (Toronto, Canada) and Can-Am Recorders (Tarzana, Los Angeles)
* Mixed at Can-Am Recorders (Tarzana, Los Angeles)
* Mastered at Classic Sound (New York City)
'Personnel'
* Nelly Furtado writing, lead vocals, background vocals, programming, production
* Gerald Eaton additional background vocals, programming, production
* James McCollum swamp guitar
* Brian West pitched-up guitar, scratching, production, programming, recording, engineering
* Brad Haehnel mixing, recording, engineering
* John Knupp second engineering
* Scott Hull mastering
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Release history
See also
* List of number-one dance singles of 2001 (U.S.)
* List of Romanian Top 100 number ones of the 2000s
References
Category:2000 songs
Category:2001 singles
Category:DreamWorks Records singles
Category:Music videos directed by Sophie Muller
Category:Nelly Furtado songs
Category:Number-one singles in New Zealand
Category:Number-one singles in Portugal
Category:Number-one singles in Romania
Category:Songs written by Nelly Furtado
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